Beaches dangerous today after last night’s strong storm

Wednesday

Jul 23, 2014 at 8:33 AMJul 23, 2014 at 9:11 AM

By Jim.Hayden

@hollandsentinel.com(616) 546-4274

A beach hazards advisory remains in effect throughout today in the wake of strong storms that knocked down trees and dropped hail in the Holland area.Thirty-nine customers, mainly near Hudsonville and some in Park Township along the lakeshore, remaiedn without power this morning in Ottawa County, according to Consumers Energy.Waves of four to eight feet with winds 20-30 mph will make swimming hazardous through Thursday morning, according to the National Weather Service in Grand Rapids.Strong structural currents, longshore currents and rip currents are expected. The currents will be especially dangerous on the north side of piers, making Holland State Park and the North Beach in South Haven particularly treacherous.Structural currents form along piers where waves flow into the structure and can sweep swimmers into deeper water along the pier structure.Longshore currents move parallel to the shore and can be strong enough to prevent swimmers from being able to keep their feet on the bottom, making it difficult to return to shore.Rip currents are powerful channels of water flowing quickly away from show that can take swimmers into deeper water.Storms that moved through the Holland area late last night dropped 0.76-inch of rain at the West Michigan Regional Airport.That puts Holland about a half inch above average in rain for the month, though the area remains about 3 inches below average in precipitation for the year.Penny-sized hail was reported at 11:19 p.m. just north of Holland and at the Ottawa County Fairgrounds in Park Township, where there was also flooding.There were many reports of trees down across southern Ottawa County as well as street flooding in Grand Haven where vehicles got stuck at Washington and Seventh Avenue, according to weather service reports.Castle Park in Allegan County reported 45 mph winds at 11:17 p.m. along with the thunderstorms.At the airport, southwest winds were at 12-16 mph throughout the night.Tuesday’s high of 91 degrees was the first time this month the temperature hit 90 degrees, a rarity in July.The storms have brought cooler weather, with a high about 74 degrees today and Thursday.Friday, Saturday and Sunday will be in the upper 70s.The average high this time of year is 82 degrees.